Guest Book Review 1 : The Friday Fair

Since the inception of Literary Sojourn, it has remained my journey in the literary world and I do not foresee that to be getting changed anytime soon. However, honouring one request by Katha, Literary Sojourn is proudly hosting three guest book reviews of these wonderful Katha books.

Title : The Friday Fair

Author : Rabindranath Tagore

Illustrator : Debasmita Dasgupta

Translators : Himanjali Shankar, Geeta Dharmarajan

ISBN : 978-98-82454-10-6

Reviewer : Mouli Banerjee

Katha’s new ‘Tantalising Tagore’ series is a delightful collection of five of famous children’s poems by the Bengali writer, bringing to light a spritely world of colours and life. The collection consists of five translations: The Friday Fair, The Champa Flower, The Astronomer, The Little Big Man and Clouds and Waves. Himanjali Shankar and Geeta Dharmarajan’s translation of Tagore’s poem ‘Haat’, The Friday Fair is a delightful adaptation of the original story, which famously portrays each and every minute activity at the weekly village market.

Tagore’s poem presents a word picture of a busy weekly market on the banks of Padma, in the village of Bakshiganj. It is a kaleidoscopic vision of all the frenetic events that take place in the village on that day. H. Shankar and G. Dharmarajan’s translation is refined, as it retains the flavour of the original, while at the same time making the whole experience available through the imaginary world of children in metropolitan cities, who may not be familiar with the village atmosphere.

The illustrations by Debasmita Dasgupta amplify the colour and vibrancy of the story. They are based on traditional motifs and strokes but represent a modern version of the weekly village market. This is visible in the attire of the people depicted, which are very different from what Tagore’s villages would have looked like. The illustration seamlessly merges into the narrative to provide the children with a unique artistic experience.

The original poem by Tagore, a part of his collection for children, Sahaj Path or Simple Lessons, is a tightly rhymed piece. In this translation, the original Bengali rhyme scheme gives way to a sense of rhythm and musicality. The structure of the book, with each line depicting a different scene placed on a separate page with a related illustration, offers an impression of slideshow, shifting through scenes and people and thus creating a collage of human lives from various backgrounds. There are children playing, girls from the village coming to trade hay, men and women selling vegetables, sweets, jaggery, handicrafts, blankets and even cheap umbrellas from the city! It successfully evokes a feeling of activity and community interaction at the marketplace. The Friday Fair is thoughtfully structured so to include, along with a brief but instructive annexe on Tagore, the original Bangla poem in its script and in a Roman transcription. This highlights Katha’s concern for projects of translation, which culminates here in a subtle way to initiate children to this other art.

Young readers can see the rhyme scheme of the original and contrast it with the translated version. Thus, The Friday Fair is a colourful, exciting book that takes its readers on a journey through colourful cultures and life stories.

Interview : Himanjali Sankar

It was a pleasure interviewing Himanjali Sankar, the author of quirky and humorous 'The Stupendous Timetelling Superdog' (reviewed here).

I am glad to be sharing this interview here with the readers of Literary Sojourn.

1.     How did you get the idea of the time telling dog? How has been its response?

I wish I could say that a lot of deep thought went into the idea but, honestly, it was a fairly random decision! I wrote about a time telling dog as a writing exercise in a workshop and then decided to expand on the idea. I have been for a few book reading sessions in the last month and the children that I read to seemed to love the idea of a timetelling dog.

2.     How has been your journey with Duckbill publishers?

I love working with Duckbill. This is my first full-length novel and I was tentative and uncertain about being up to the task. The feedback that I received from them and the editorial suggestions were invaluable. Working on the promotion and publicity aspects has also been great as their ideas are creative and fun.

3.     Which kind of children's literature do you enjoy reading the most?

I like children’s literature that is outrageous, quirky and layered. I enjoy Cornelia Funke – her stuff for younger children, like Princess Knight and The Pirate Girl. I love Roddy Doyle, too, especially the way he sometimes writes the most ridiculously funny stuff.  I love Dr Seuss and Shel Silverstein as far as poetry goes. I think simple, straightforward, rhythmic poetry is so tough to do and so fabulous to read when the poet gets it just right.

4.     Which children's books author is your role model?

I don’t think I have a role model. However, the authors that I like most (some of them mentioned above) would be influencing my writing, directly and indirectly. In India, I like Anushka Ravishankar and Asha Nehemiah’s writing very much and I have worked with both of them and have possibly been influenced by their writing.

5.     What are the most important things to keep in mind while writing books for children?

What I personally found the toughest to do was keeping the language simple and straightforward. I essentially like to write long convoluted sentences which do not make as much sense as they should! However, children are hard to please and difficult to impress. As far as thoughts and ideas go, I think you can pack in as much as you want as long as you keep the language clean and direct.

6.     How are tastes and preferences of young readers changing over time?

Trends and fashions in literature will keep changing but that is at a surface level. At a deeper level, I don’t think it is easy to gauge such changes. With technology and globalization children are exposed to much more from a younger age which would cause their preferences to change but beyond that, I don’t think I can confidently predict the direction in which this is moving.

7.     Do you think books are competing with technological gadgets these days and reading habit is adversely getting impacted?

To a certain extent, yes. There is too much out there, competing with books. However, I am optimistic that the reading habit is not going to go away anytime soon. I have met so many children who really love books that I think it would be unfair on my part to say that children are reading less these days. To a certain extent, especially with younger children, reading has always been a conscious decision on the part of parents. And once you establish the habit it does not go away easily.

8.     How do you see Indian Children's books in comparison with the foreign children literature?

In India, apart from the folktales and oral literature that has always been an important part of growing up, I don’t think children’s literature has still come of age. Of course, when I say that, I am talking about English literature for children. In Bangla, for instance, there is a huge plethora of wonderful children’s books out there. I am not qualified to talk about children’s literatures in other languages in India but I am sure there is a lot of stuff which perhaps does not get the exposure or bandwidth that it should.

9.     Why are Indian children's books focused more on teaching and preaching than on sheer joy of reading a good story? Is it changing now?

Traditionally, our stories have usually taught a lesson but often in a fun way, like with Birbal, Gopal Bhand, Tenali Raman and such folk heroes. Literature, like other subjects, was possibly expected to serve a purpose. And I would like to think there has always been a parallel range of joyful literature which was considered too frivolous to be canonized. I don’t know if things are changing but there is a conscious effort to bridge this gap which is surely a good thing.

 

10.  Kidlit has a long way to cover to be at the same level as the foreign literature. What is your opinion in this?

Kidlit is unfortunately not taken very seriously in our country. In many foreign countries it is a segment of the publishing industry that is seen to be very important. The authors and illustrators of children’s books, the quality of production are all viewed very differently and given the sort of recognition and importance, through awards, sponsorships and visibility, that is not done here. Of course, things are changing and we can hope for good things to come. 

Book Review : Stupendous Timetelling Superdog

Title : Stupendous Timetelling Superdog

Author : Himanjali Sankar

Publisher : Duckbill

Rousseau is a superdog in Mrs. Ghosh's household with a unique ability to tell time through his barks, raising of his forelimbs  and thumping of tail. Mrs Ghosh and her two daughters - Aanya and Kaayva dote on their pet dog and have gotten used to the fact that their dog is capable of doing much more than what a regular canine does.

There are these Orange Marmaladies from the Black Hole of Time who were the original timekeepers of the universe and who used to enjoy the company of humans very much before humans became self sufficient in terms of tracking time.  Now Marmaladies feel ignored and uncared for and worst of all, humans do not seem to notice them at all, they have become invisible in human world. To get their visibility and friendship with humans back they think of a drastic plan. They stop all the time showing devices in the human world but unfortunately contrary to their beliefs,  nothing changed. The humans still can not see the Marmaladies. However, a few things happen in the human world - they realize how utterly dependent all of them have become on time and without time their whole world becomes chaotic.

Now there is only one creature who can actually bring some semblance in the timeless world even without the assistance of  any clocks or watches - its Rousseau and thanks to the dog, Ghosh's household is still running smoothly. The dog becomes the subject of study for many around the world and the superdog becomes a superhero. But are the humans able to see and acknowledge Marmaladies again? Will the Marmaladies get back their long lost togetherness with humans? Will the time telling devices start working again?

Besides being a fun packed story full of madness for children it has another introspective angle to it too. I feel Orange Marmaladies are much more than strange creatures from outer world. These are our own and other's feelings which we have stopped responding to because of our always running to meet the deadlines routine. A smile here, a little nod there, an acknowledgment of some feeling, listening to somebody, sharing somebody's sorrows - anything could be one of the Marmaladies and the same are becoming 'invisible' in the self-centered culture.

So 'The Stupendous Timetelling Superdog' is indeed a thought provoking tale and this aspect of Marmaladies should be discussed with the young readers after they are done reading the story once. I am sure it would enhance the pleasure of reading this tale much more as they start to appreciate the idea of layered characterization and the importance of human values which conveniently get sacrificed at the altar of paucity of time.